Calls for FIFA to ban Iran after women pepper sprayed trying to enter football match

Callum Boyle

It took place while Iran played their final World Cup qualifier

Video footage has emerged of thousands of women being pepper sprayed by authorities as they tried to enter the stadium to watch Iran’s World Cup qualifier with Lebanon.

The ISNA news agency reported that roughly 2,000 women had bought tickets to see the game which Iran won 2-0 to secure their place at the finals in Qatar.

Security used pepper spray to disperse the crowds

Today the security forces attacked women with pepper spray. Because of being banned from entering to stadium in Mashhad-iran, they were peacefully protesting. FIFA must condemn this gender apartheid and take action rather than accepting the lies from our government.#letUsTalk pic.twitter.com/mXaR1o3Zox

— Masih Alinejad 🏳️ (@AlinejadMasih) March 29, 2022

Upon arrival, however, women were immediately refused entry to the stadium before security began to use pepper spray to disperse the crowds.

In the footage, women can be heard chanting “no to objection” and seen attempting to kick the gates of the stadium down so that they could enter.

More footage shows one man blowing cigarette smoke into the eyes of a child so that it can relieve the pain of the pepper spray.

A young man who took this video asked me to pass his message to @FIFAcom : My friend & I, bought the ticket to go to stadium but see how she got attacked with pepper spray for the crime of being a girl. I refused to go to stadium but shame on you if you ignore this barbaric act. pic.twitter.com/3yZ2MxDOD3

— Masih Alinejad 🏳️ (@AlinejadMasih) March 29, 2022

Women have been largely prohibited from attending sports events.

The horrific scenes come just three years after the former Iranian president, Hassan Rouhani, promised FIFA back in 2018 that changes would be made.

One year on from the president’s claims, FIFA threatened to suspend Iran from footballing activities if women were not allowed access to stadiums. As a result, women were then permitted to attend national team games at the Azadi Stadium in Tehran, however it is unknown if the ban on women attending football was lifted nationwide.

Women have largely been prevented from attending sporting events in Iran since the country fell under strict Islamic rules as of 1979 with current supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, enforcing laws which include the death penalty for homosexuality.

In & out of the IRI's Stadium at the same time! Don't keep silent. #FIFABanIR #FIFABanIRI @FIFAcom @FIFAWWC @UNWomenWatch @UN_Women @mbachelet @Forbes @WSJ @BILD pic.twitter.com/NB6iVFIMYB

— Dana (@ShadowArtLand1) March 30, 2022

Iranian activist calls for Iran to be banned from the World Cup

Iranian activist and campaigner Masih Alinejad has condemned the shocking scenes and called for Iran to be banned from this year’s World Cup.

“As an Iranian woman, I call on FIFA to ban the Islamic Republic because we, the women of Iran, are banned from entering stadium for 42 years,” she told the Mail.

“If some Western countries banned women from entering stadiums, what would you do? Then what is different between us and Western women? This is hypocritical that FIFA ignore us.

“This is a total betrayal that FIFA do not take a strong action against a gender apartheid regime!”

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